The Milpa Diet: as an alternative in public health in the Valley of the Mezquital, State of Hidalgo, after the covid-19 pandemic

Abstract

In Mexico, covid-19 found an ideal breeding ground to reach exorbitant numbers of positive cases and deaths, from a population with overweight, obesity and uncontrolled chronic diseases, due to at least 3 decades of malnutrition, unhealthy lifestyles and little or no physical activity. Faced with this situation, this document aims to present the diet scheme called "La Dieta de La Milpa", a model that is based on and revalues ​​the traditional diet of native peoples and considers the food culture of each of the country's regions. But it is also complemented by the foods integrated into the Mexican diet from the European colonization, categorized into 11 groups of foods that are nutritionally similar to each other, making this scheme a model of healthy, sustainable, culturally relevant, accessible and affordable food, mainly for rural areas or regions, in which life revolves around the milpa, a space that serves as the guiding axis of society, providing, in addition to a space for cultivation, means for hunting bush animals and gathering fruits and insects, in addition this is complemented by the site, which is a kind of backyard garden, destined to the cultivation of medicinal herbs, fruit and vegetables and the raising of animals and poultry, as an alternative to care for the health and nutrition of the population, after the covid-19 pandemic, with the main area of ​​action in the region south-central Valley of the Mezquital, of which the Municipality of San Salvador is a part, a region characterized by origins, culture, traditions, customs, worldview and common idiosyncrasy among its peoples.